The secret of Mona Lisa’s smile has finally been revealed. Women of the world (myself included), how could we have not recognized it after all this time? Da Vinci’s portrait bears the “satisfied” expression of a woman who’s been wearing high-heels for 500 years!

High heels, both a pain and a delight for women, are celebrating their 500th birthday!

Read the rest of this entry »

Can art be made beyond places exclusively dedicated to creativity and design?
Well, it seems that now anything can be made into a wonderful work of art even rice paddies. Specifically, those in Inakadate, Japan, which have become a celebration of Japanese art with pictographs inspired by images from Hokusai and manga.

Since 1993, the farmers of this rural town have been cultivating the kodaima variety of rice with its dark leaves amongst their local variety, tsugaru-roman, which has light green leaves. The end results are rice fields unfolding in masterful chiaroscuro, which can be admired until they are, unfortunately, razed to the ground during harvesting.

Read the rest of this entry »

“The Being Digital revolution, the shift from atoms to bits, is irreversible and unstoppable”.

This was a theory that used to sound like science fiction. It was propagated in that period when the RAI reigned over Italian TV and was always quarrelling with the new, private ‘heretic’ channels of Mediaset. When DOS was the most common operating system and Windows was a pioneer regarded with scepticism.

However, the prophecy of Negroponte (a modern Nostradamus) has now come true!

Current TV - an interactive Web TV channel started by Al Gore in 2005 – has just won a very coveted Emmy Award for best “interactive television services”.

Read the rest of this entry »

It might be a rare species of endangered, migratory water bird that can only be found in Yellowstone National Park but I’m actually talking about a particular duck that is in excellent health.

You can find it in a variety of places - from Bologna to Edmonton, from South America to the Emirates, from Korea to Hungary - and you’ll always recognize it because its distinctive traits have remained the same. It’s the duck of the Mandarina Duck chain.

Thanks to its wanderlust, the Mandarina Duck has adjusted to various habitats. Nowadays it can be found in 70 worldwide mono-brand stores (50 in Italy), in 1,000 worldwide multi-brand stores or in the corners of department stores in major cities, such as Milan or New York, all of which have a similar microclimate despite their different longitudes.
From London, in Harvey Nichols, to Paris, in Les Galéries Lafayette, to Madrid, in El Corte Inglès, the duck blends in with many metropolitan cultures and never loses its identity.

Show as slideshow

Have you seen the duck yet?

Art, love, music…that’s all I’ve lived for.
No harm have I done to anyone living.
Caring…forgiving…sharing whatever I could with the poor.

If I start singing along at the top of my lungs with this famous piece from Tosca, it’s because I’m imagining myself as the divine Callas. Unfortunately, my voice is not as crystal clear and tends to fail a bit.

This year is the 30th anniversary of the death of Maria Callas and her portrait will appear on 2007 commemorative stamps. There will also be many commemorative events in her honor.

Read the rest of this entry »

I’ve just gotten back to work from my summer holiday and I’m already onto my next business trip. This time it’s Singapore.
I’m on my way to the airport, counting how many flights I’ve taken and with how many airlines I’ve flown.

My favourite airline is Lufthansa, as it is very hi-tech and very functional, which is, of course, what you would expect from a German airline. Their latest innovation is the “Private Bed“, thanks to which you can adapt your seat to your every need. I hardly ever take flights that are less than 8 hours long, which means that I have to deal with serious jet lag. As well, when I arrive, I need to be rested, alert and ready for meetings, so I’ve now learnt to sleep on any type of plane. Somehow, I think that this one is something else entirely!
Read the rest of this entry »

Andrea told you what happens in a fashion show backstage, today we’ll show you the video.

This has been a very important happening in Mandarina: it was the first time we created a fashion show to present the new collection to our colleagues. It was nice to see our bags alive on the catwalk, moreover we were looking at the spring/summer 2008 collection!

I’ve already chosen my next bag… and you?

The curtain has fallen on the “Biennale“.

Saturday evening, the 64th Venice Film Festival concluded with a parade of stars on the red carpet and the usual criticisms, issues, outfits and gossip.

Had the predictions come true?

After a nine-hour debate in the “council hall”, the jury appeared at the Cinema Palace with a highly criticised verdict.

It was an Asian victory… as expected. After his triumph in 2005 with “Brokeback Mountain”, Taiwanese director Ang Lee won the Golden Lion for direction with “Lust, Caution“.
This time, Brian De Palma had to settle for second place as “Redacted“, a war story set in Iraq, nly received a Silver Lion.

Read the rest of this entry »

After three weeks of well-deserved vacation, coming back to work is more exciting than ever.

At Mandarina, the end of August brings the presentation of the spring/summer collection for the following year and the whole company is involved in a myriad of meetings (including clashes in the corridors). The scene is similar to that of Miranda’s arrival in “The Devil wears Prada“.

The biggest moment was the presentation of the collection to the entire company (branches included) - at the home of the Aterballetto dance company in Reggio Emilia - and the spectacular fashion show, of which I will describe the backstage activities.

Read the rest of this entry »

Valentino, the made-in-Italy guru, says that he “leaves the party when it’s still full” and claims he still has many projects in store regarding new talented designers and the history of fashion.

If you’re ever in Rome, you can see the Ara Pacis, one of Valentino’s greatest models. The king of fashion, who once bewitched a young Jackie with his ultra-feminine dresses, celebrates his 45-year career in a historical location that was once used to celebrate victories.

Mannequins dressed as vestal virgins and illuminated by an Augustan aura wait at the entrance of Richard Meier’s renovated airy space, where they stand out against the steel, glass and travertine in a tableau staged by Antonio Monfreda and Patrick Kinmonth.

With its pharoanic opening celebrations for the Valentino Days, the Ara Pacis Museum is presenting a retrospective exhibition dedicated to the master, which can be visited in the evenings until 28 October 2007.

Now, all that’s left to us is to follow his tracks, which are obviously marked by his quintessential red. Valentino fans mustn’t miss out on the monumental book “Valentino, a Great Italian Story“. A true cultural investment, especially as it’s a limited edition.

Of course, I won’t miss it!

And lots of good luck to Alessandra Facchinetti!

Technorati Tags: Valentino, Ara Pacis, Roma, Jackie, Alessandra Facchinetti